The Homo Sapiens Chronicles
by renegadewayfarer
Summary: You know who they are. You know what they have done. But do you know what they have been through? Rachel/Tobias Timeline: before Elfangor died
1. Tranquil Prelude: My name is Rachel

Note: K. A. Applegate was my hero. But then he decided to kill Rachel. Oh. And he owns everything. I'm just one of the many individuals picketing on his lawn, begging for a continuation of a series that captured my heart and possibly stole my sanity when my favorite char died.

**Rachel POV**

My name is Rachel.

And I'm stuck in a stuffy classroom with a hand on my chin and basically daydreaming

Yeah, you heard me.

I, Rachel, am daydreaming.

After all, what else is there to do during classes and the teacher simply chooses not to show up?

I sighed and took a look around the classroom, noting that the volume of the noise we were creating is steadily climbing. My disdain mounted as I saw the tableau in front of me.

There were some boys bragging near the front, in exaggeratedly loud voices. One of their most interesting conversation would go along the lines of…

"No way you can shoot a three pointer blindfolded!"

"Bet I can!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

Utterly fascinating, wouldn't you say?

My eyes slid past them and saw some gossipy girls who were interspersing their airhead chatter with carefully orchestrated girly giggles, while their eyes dart occasionally to a certain guy in the class, which more often than not was my cousin, Jake.

I suppose he could be a dream boy type. Right height, plays basketball, nice guy, not bad looking, with "to die for eyes and a slow smile that can melt your insides…" quote, unquote.

That description is ofcourse provided by my tree hugging best friend who was sitting behind me and who coincidentally has a crush on Jake since she first laid eyes on him.

And I gotta tell you, that was a long time ago. Cassie and I were playing together since we were in diapers.

She was currently far too engrossed in one of her biology books that probably goes on about how to operate on rabid and crazed animals. Her parents own this goodwill clinic that takes in about any imaginable injured animal that they can lay their hands on. Cassie probably handled more animals than how many outfits I bought in my lifetime. Okay, maybe just about as much outfits.

People say I'm pretty, and in the conventional sense, I suppose I am. I play it to the hilt too. I knew so much beauty tricks that given the chance, I could make Jake a literal slave for Cassie. Not that she'd ever allow me. That girl is just waaaaaaaay to subtle in declaring her true feelings…

But ever since I was young, I knew I wanted something more than people patting me on the head and pinching my cheeks. I wanted them to see me more than just as cover girl material…

I wanted…

"A chance to finally confess your true feelings for me?"

I blinked and jerked back from the annoying face hovering near me.

Marco.

Jake's buddy.

Ever seen one of those dog shows when a Great Dane would come strutting in… And by its flanks, a Chihuahua is barely visible?

That's figuratively and literally what Marco is to me.

He's a midget and he makes up for his saddening height deficit by imitating an extremely irksome fly.

He'd crack jokes all day regardless of the fact that ninety percent of the time people would just like to stuff a sock down his throat just to shut him up.

"So what's your answer, Rachel?"

I wasn't in a good mood. It was hot inside the classroom, I was bored out of my wits and I never really have been gifted with a long temper.

But I suppose these facts do not justify the reality that I grabbed Marco by the collar and dangled him a few centimeters off the ground. Atleast, that's what the teacher thought when she walked in on us and saw what happened.

Marco did not help the situation by screaming at the top of his lungs, "Get away everybody! She's a hormonally charged female and she _so_ wants me!!!"

After an irritatingly uncalled for trip to the guidance counselor, where I was interrogated on the basic principles of the birds and bees, I was walking back to the classroom and malevolently plotting just how hard I can physically bash Marco's head in.

I wasn't in any hurry though. I could always tell my math teacher the guidance counselor detained me longer…

Suddenly, a door swung open heading right towards me.

I acted on instinct and kicked it back. I should probably have not kicked it back too hard but I was still in a snit because of the fiasco earlier that I vented my frustration on the hapless door.

And the innocent bystander behind it.

I heard a muffled grunt of pain behind the wood so I peered behind the door to see who was driving me nuts this time. The room beyond was dark so I flipped on the light switch next to the door. The light came on and I blinked to let my eyes adjust to the light.

The first thing I noticed was the shoes. They were ratty and tattered, a beat up old pair that should have been replaced months ago. Checking out the rest of his ensemble, I came to the conclusion his family didn't have much, taking in to consideration the faded and awkwardly mended hand me downs that he was wearing.

Finally, I took stock of the person in the clothes. Sprawled on the floor was a dweeby kid with blond hair that was sticking up in all direction and wearing an expression that had me taken aback.

Normally, if a door bashed you on the head and landed you on your butt on the floor, you'd be cussing at the darn thing and the person behind it. But this kid had a resigned expression on his face, almost like he was used to this kind of stuff happening.

I don't know why, but the pathetic expression on his face just made me madder.

"Are you planning on sitting there all day?" I snapped at him, but held out my hand all the same. "Are you hurt or something?"

"I'm okay." He responded meekly and got on his feet without looking me in the eye. He kept his eyes pinned on the ground as he headed for the door as though escaping.

My eyes narrowed. I had a lot of stuff on my I-can't-stand-this list but right there on the top was the fact that I hated kids who just won't stand up for themselves.

I grabbed the kid by his shoulder as he turned to leave. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

Furtive panicked eyes met mine for a second as the kid braced himself for an oncoming attack before dropping his gaze on the floor. Seriously, he was rivaling Marco in grinding my last nerve.

"Aren't you mad at me?" I asked him brusquely.

Startled, he looked up, met my stare again and said with the most conviction I have heard as of yet from him, "No. Why would I be?"

"Because I just walloped you on your butt and…" I broke off, suddenly noticing something. "Hey! You're bleeding!"

Calmly, he lifted a hand to his forehead and wiped away the trickling blood. "Don't worry about it, I'm used to it."

That. Was. The. Last. Straw.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I roared and the kid jumped about a foot in the air in surprise.

"You're saying you're used to being a human punching bag? You're saying you'd just accept that? That's pathetic! You're a human being just like any of us and no one has the right to hurt you or beat you up because we are all the same human beings no matter what clothes we wear or what stuff we do!" The kid had rapidly changing expressions on his face; awe, fear, surprise, doubt, but those were not the emotions I wanted to feel from him.

My hand was still on his shoulder. I gave him a shove. He stumbled back, nearly falling back down again as he struggled to maintain his balance.

"You get pushed, you push back." I advanced towards him. "That's not just your right, that's also your obligation. Because if you don't…"

I glared at him and finished my statement, putting great emphasis on my words. "No one else will do it for you."

Again, the kid's face was in obvious onslaught of a dozen emotions, but I could see that the fear and doubt was still surfacing the most.

I sighed in consternation and turned to leave.

Now let me just clarify for future reference that I was caught in an extremely unbalanced position. I had just barely turned my upper body when a blow connected with my shoulder blades and sent me stumbling.

I must have looked like an idiot then as I tottered on my unsteady legs before I ended up on my side on the floor.

I got to my feet in a blink.

The kid was in shock, his eyes wide as saucers at what he did while his mouth hung open.

If anyone else had done that to me, I would probably have broken both their arms by now. But oddly enough, I felt almost happy that the kid had the guts to finally stand up for himself

I dusted myself off and held out my hand, scowling. "Don't make it a hobby to strike from the back. I'm Rachel by the way."

"Oh. Um, hi." He shook my hand held my gaze, albeit a little skittishly. "Tobias."

And that was when the world as I knew it ended.


	2. The Looking Glass: My name is Tobias

**Author's Note**: Dang, can't believe i messed up my pronouns again... Regarding my last statement, sorry... Miss Applegate was wrongly identified as a male... Thank you for your correction. Going to be uploading all the way now, i finished the story already.

**Tobias POV**

My name is Tobias.

If anyone ever asked me to describe my life, I would answer him, without any hesitation whatsoever, that it sucks.

As if it isn't enough that my own parents didn't even care to stick around to take care of me, they dumped me on some far flung aunt and uncle that separated and would treat me like an unwanted millstone around their necks.

As if it wasn't enough struggling through school dressed like a bum from the Salvation Army, some people would actually make it their life mission to make sure my hell of a life got even worse.

No, it got a hell of a lot worse.

Because now, I think, I've fallen in love.

It was impossible not to notice her. Long blond hair that looked more fitting on an angel than on an ordinary human being and a subtle grace that was evident in her every movement. Eyes that mirrored the heavens above. But it wasn't just her looks. There was a sort of untamed restlessness present within her and every so often she would look up to the sky beyond the windows of our airless classroom as though yearning freedom from this mundane existence.

And she's about as attainable as the bringing a Tyrannosaurus Rex back to life.

Compared to her, I would describe myself as insignificant insect. I spent most of my time in school dodging thickheaded louts who would constantly bully me and watching her. It was more than enough for me to see her smile. I doubt I was worth even that much.

Anyway, this particular hot day, I was creeping around the back alley of the school to get to class. I always arrive late so that when I step in to the classroom, the teacher was already there to ensure my physical well being. Unfortunately for me, our teacher didn't show up.

"There he is!" I heard malevolent cheers coming from behind me. "Get the wimp!"

Panicked, I latched on to the nearest window, jammed it open and slipped inside. Feeling my way through the darkness, I finally found the doorknob.

I twisted it as noiselessly as I could and peered outside. So far, the coast looked relatively clear. I opened the door further and took a step out.

The next thing I knew, pain was radiating on my right temple and I was knocked back on my butt on the floor.

I sighed. I knew it was only a matter of time before they found me anyway...

But a familiar voice jolted my entire nervous system.

"Are you planning on sitting there all day?"

It was her. I muttered an affirmative and clambered to my feet, desperate for an escape.

It was enough that everyone secretly laughed behind my back about my woebegone attire. I doubt I could handle it if she was the one laughing.

But she wasn't letting me go that easily. She stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and I reacted on instinct, bracing myself for any blows. But what she said next floored my better than any punch ever would.

"Aren't you mad at me?"

Confused, I met her eyes for a moment and hastened to reassure her. I was used to stuff like this happening to me and I had no reason to get mad at her for…

That turned out to be the wrong thing to say. Her eyes flashed and she started ranting, going on about how I should stand up for myself and that I had every right and obligation to do so.

And all the while, I couldn't stop the surprise and respect that probably showed on my face. I felt happy that she would get riled up over someone as worthless as me when we weren't even acquaintances before today.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I nearly fell back on the floor when she shoved me.

"You get pushed, you push back. That's not just your right, that's also your obligation. Because if you don't…"

"No one else will do it for you."

It was then that I saw it.

She felt sorry for me. She didn't like the way I just let everyone walk all over me and she wanted to do something about it. But she couldn't.

Because as long as I swallowed every indignity I had to suffer through, I wasn't just the victim, I was also a conspirator. I was letting them hurt me. She was right. No one would ever respect me, as long as I never had any respect for myself.

And she wanted to teach me this lesson.

She turned on her heel to go, annoyance and disappointment mixed up together on her features.

Wait… I… I know now… That you… And I… Well, I… Words were jumbled together in my brain, and I was afraid if I opened my mouth, they would pour out.

So I did the only thing I could to show her that I got her message.

My push connected between her shoulder blades with only a minimum amount of force behind it. I didn't want to end up hurting her…

But again, bad luck was following. Her balance was off since she was turning back, that the momentum caused her legs to entangle. She landed with a solid thump on the floor.

I was rooted on the spot. First thought: I just hit a girl! This alone would have been enough to send me to shock completely. Next thought: Is she okay? This thought however, sent frissons of fear through me. I didn't mean to hurt her, I actually wanted to thank her… and I found myself caring, perhaps too much, if she ever so much as pricked her finger.

I was ready to drop to my knees and beg for pardon when she stood up, dusted herself off and told me off for hitting her while her back was turned.

"I'm Rachel."

I felt like the world I had come to know and anticipate, the world where I was a nobody except as a favorite target for the bullies, was receding and giving way to bright future.

"I'm Tobias." I answered and smiled.

The world… My world… Began anew.


	3. The Dim Sense of Gravity

**Rachel POV**

His smile caught me completely off guard.

It lit up his otherwise stark features, making me realize once again that this kid was full of surprises.

It threw me in a loop so much that I didn't hear the door softly close behind us. But both of us definitely noticed when the light went out.

We stood in complete darkness, with an oppressing aura of awkwardness steadily growing by degrees.

"It was nice meeting you." I could only hope my voice was steady and businesslike. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

My hand groped for the doorknob and upon finding it, wrenched it and pulled.

The door didn't budge.

Annoyed, I pulled harder on the darn thing. Still no effect.

"Hey, Tobias," I called. "The door is stuck. Think you could lend me a hand?"

Suddenly, a something grasped my elbow. I yelped, spun around, tripped on something and started falling again.

I braced myself for contact with the hard floor, cursing the extreme amount of bad luck that was abnormally following me all day… When I landed on something soft.

I heard a grunt beneath me.

"Are you okay?" Tobias' voice came a bit too near my ear.

It began to dawn on me exactly what happened.

Since it was too damn dark, Tobias was probably feeling his way around like me and accidentally grabbed me on my elbow. I, ever so impulsive, probably collided with him and…

And…

"I'm sorry!" Mortified, I rolled off the poor guy, hoping I didn't suffocate him while he was crushed beneath my weight.

But bad luck wasn't done with me yet. Far from it.

My back hit something with a thud and afterwards, there came a few creaking sounds.

"Did you hear some…"

I never got to finish my question. After a few more creaks, the sound became a whoosh, which meant only one thing.

Something was falling. Something big.

I curled up into a ball as large objects fell straight on us accompanied with loud crashes. Dimly, I felt a pair of arms wrapping around me and a warm body near mine, but with the cacophony going on, I couldn't be sure.

Finally, it was over. And I was able to verify that, indeed, there was someone curled protectively around me.

"Tobias?" I croaked, then coughed. The dust made its way to my throat and made talking difficult. "Are you okay?"

No answer.

Trapped in a dark room crushed by mammoth objects, I can handle. But knowing that someone just got hurt by protecting me was another matter entirely.

"Tobias!" My voice got sharper as the fear in me grew. "Answer me, will you?"

With the sliver of light coming from the door and the muted rays that made it through the window, I could make out Tobias' face, his eyes closed.

Stay calm, I told myself. If Tobias is hurt, you can't do anything for him by yelling at him. I had to find help.

I started wriggling then, shoving my way out of the suffocating wall that was pressing down on us. But the weight wouldn't budge, and I felt that we were being buried alive under a pile of plywood.

"Tobias?" I tried again, this time the worry was more evident in my voice. "If you can hear me, please, answer me."

A cough rewarded my efforts. It was feeble and rasping, causing me to worry even more, but I couldn't help but feel relieved that he was coming to.

"Ra… Rachel?" He groaned. "Damn, my skull feels like it's been through a pulverizer…"

"It's your fault." I berated him, throwing my annoyance and worry into the argument. "You shouldn't have…"

I stopped. I couldn't finish the statement.

What was I supposed to say? You shouldn't have protected me. You should have just let me get hurt rather than you.

Was I beginning to care too much for this kid?

Thankfully, he didn't let on to my slip.

"What… What happened?" He took a look around, wincing all the while. "Did the roof fall on us or something?"

I hid a smile. He was fine if he could still make jokes over this whole disaster.

"I think we're in one of the school's storage rooms." I said, feeling the sizeable object that was squashing us. "If I'm right, we're trapped under some old blackboards that aren't used anymore."

He also tried pushing up, but it was useless.

"Feels like there are a lot of blackboards on top of us." He mused. "I doubt we can get these things off by ourselves."

"That's what I thought too." I agreed then added. "But I think someone is bound to come running after the ruckus we made."

"That's good."

The room was far from quiet, with the blocks of plywood settling and scraping upon one another yet it sounded hollowly empty when we stopped talking.

I was still uncomfortable with the feelings of protectiveness that assaulted me a while ago. After all, I just met this boy, yet I began to care for him as though he was more than just a friend already.

I'm no believer in all that crap about love at first sight. I'm no believer in love at all, now that I come to think about it. Many boys confessed their so called love to me since I was old enough to walk, yet it all sounded superficial to me. I admit that I find some members of the male species to be attractive, but never did I fancy myself as actually falling in love with one of them.

The kind of love that lasts forever… The kind that makes you take your beloved's hand and never let go, just to make sure he's always with you… The kind that makes you risk your own wellbeing just for the sake of his own safety…

No, I don't believe in that kind of love at all.


	4. Entwined And Twisted Fates

**Tobias POV**

The Fates were out to get me. I have confirmation of that now.

They are three black garbed crones in Greek mythology who are said to hold the threads of human life. If ever they lay that thread out straight, the mortal who owns that thread will have a tranquil life. But sometimes the Fates can be malevolent, and would entangle the thread of a human's life, and cause him great misery and trouble.

Here I was, spending time with the girl I love yet, we were stuck in dark room under a pile of blackboards. She was inches away from me yet, I was trapped in my position by numerous aches and pains that rendered any movement a living hell.

What did I ever do to deserve this fate?

"My sentiments exactly." Rachel suddenly spoke up dryly.

Oh damn. Was I speaking out loud?

"It's not that…" I hurried to correct my idiocy. "I was just thinking of The Fates. In Greek mythology."

"The Fates?" Rachel echoed.

Inwardly, I smacked myself on the forehead. Never a good idea to talk about the books that I would read while skulking around in the library. It would just make it even more apparent just how little a social life I have.

But it was too late now.

"They're three old ladies with only one eyehole in each of their heads. They would share a single eye between the three of them, and this eye was fabled to be omniscient… Erm… All-seeing." I blurted out, stumbling on the last word, worried that she would be accusing me of being a know it all, or worse, be totally grossed out by the weirdness I was talking about.

But once again, she surprised me.

"Wow." She sounded amazed, not at all snobbish, like what I would expect from her. "I never even heard of them. I did a report on Athena a while back so I'm a little familiar with Greek mythology."

I swear I nearly jumped to my feet, singing, there is a god!

"Then you probably know that besides being the goddess of war, Athena was also the goddess of arts and crafts plus wisdom." I was grinning like an idiot, but I couldn't help it.

How often was it that I could find a living sentient being willing to listen to my ramblings about Greek mythology? Even more unbelievable, what are the chances it would be with her???

"Yeah." She replied. "At first, I thought she was a barbarian or something because the slides our teacher showed us of her were really out there."

"That would be more of Ares' suit."

"Oh, you mean the god of war?" She laughed. "I read about him too and I have to say, he wasn't as impressive as Athena. He's the real barbarian, through and through."

"Even the great philosopher Plato referred to Athena in some of his works." I hope it didn't let on how bowled over I was of her laugh. It wasn't the coy giggles most of the girls in our class had, it was a full chuckle that just made you join in.

"Plato?"

I took a moment to have some more pangs of doubt. Oh no, did I bring up another hopeless academic subject she would bust me for?

"I think my mom has one of his books." She hesitated then continued. "Revolution? Repatriation? It starts with 're'."

"You mean the Republic." I supported. "That book was a great hit back in its day…"

"It still is today." Rachel stated staunchly. "My mom is a lawyer and she read it. She told me that the world could use some more level headed politicians like him."

"Some people thought he was too idealistic though." I stipulated gently. "He would talk about how things should be… Not how things really are."

Silence. Again, I replayed everything that was said and fussed if I had insulted her or myself in any way.

Funny how we got around talking about Athena. I got hooked to Greek mythology all thanks to her. When I heard of her duality in powers, I couldn't help but think of Rachel as her corollary.

Rachel was beautiful, preppy and athletic. She was the perfect teenage girl who would have been completely in her element in a shopping mall sale. Yet I knew deep down that there was a depth to Rachel beyond a mall rat.

Not unlike the great icebergs that float immensely above the surface of the water, the core of Rachel's personality still lay beneath all that fabrics of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.

I was interrupted in my musing by a squeaking. I took a look around, worried it was another warning of an imminent avalanche.

It was worse.

Just a couple of feet away, beady eyes were watching us intently. A rat.

A little while back, I made the mistake of calling female attention to a rat infestation. Said female went into hysterics, grabbed a broom, started whacking every square inch of floor frenziedly and upon failing on that, clambered up a table.

I suffered bruised eardrums and battered extremities for having tried to restrain her madness. It taught me one thing. Rats and girls do not mix.

Seeing my stricken expression, Rachel turned to look.

"What is it, Tob…"

My hand reached out to her shoulder. No! She must not see the rat!!!

Surprised cornflower eyes met mine and my hold faltered.

"Tobias, are you okay?"

She was too close. Way too close. I felt a blush staining my cheeks and all vestiges of sanity desert me.

She was radiant, even covered in dust and woodchips. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires in the dim light, her eyebrows cocked at my strange behavior, her lips…

Whoa there Tobias, that cannot be a good subject to dwell upon.

Yes, the Fates are truly, without a doubt, out to get me. I just didn't know how malicious they can actually get.

The rat crept closer. Frantically, I made shooing gestures with my hand.

"Tobias? Your hand…" Rachel was starting to sound annoyed.

"Oh. Um… My hand… It's… Um… Cramping!" I said lamely, shooting a death glare to the rat. "I just have to stretch it a bit…"

"Is something wrong?" Her head moved closer, and I withdrew out of sheer instinct. Too bad, when I move back, I rolled on something sharp. A lot of something

I surged forward, getting away from the source of pain, only to wish I hadn't.

I was literally nose to nose to Rachel. A centimeter more and…

Light! Blinding light!


	5. The Beginning and The End

**Rachel POV**

Kill me now. Just kill me now.

I lost track of how many times I repeated that statement in my head. It has to have reached four digits already.

It turns out, Cassie went looking for me when I didn't show up for math. She was probably planning to guilt me into confessing to the teacher that I cut classes. Anyway, she heard the ruckus in the storage room, but she couldn't get the door open. So… She called for help.

"Did you have to get Jake and Marco?" I moaned, probably for the hundredth time that day. "Couldn't you have gotten someone who didn't know me???"

"Jake and Marco were the first people I saw." Cassie replied diplomatically, but a hint of a grin kept twitching her lips up. "Besides, I wasn't the one making out with…"

"Enough already! You know it wasn't like that!" I snapped, then buried my face in my hands. "I am completely done for! How can I show my face in school? Marco would have probably spread the whole mess by tomorrow! And Jake! He's my cousin, for godsake!"

"Like you said, Jake's your cousin. He wouldn't deliberately ruin your rep just for fun. And when you gave Marco that half nelson, I don't think he was planning to cross you anytime soon." Cassie reassured me, but then added. "I… On the other hand, am braver than that and am not genetically related to you."

"Harridan." I muttered darkly. "What do you want?"

"Tell me everything." Cassie eyes lit up like those annoying Christmas lights. "Who is he? Is he in our grade? Did you two kiss atleast?"

I groaned. Even for me, this was too much excitement for just one day. Where had all the boring mundane days gone?

"His name is Tobias." I ground out, exasperated. "We met because I knocked him down… And… Well… One thing led to another and…"

"You ended up entwined and in the dark?" Cassie's skepticism was as evident as her pointed allegation.

"The door closed and it wouldn't open, as you may have noticed."

"You could have turned on the lights."

"It was too dark to find the switch!"

"It still doesn't explain how you two ended on the floor…"

"I kinda jostled… Some of the blackboards stashed in that room. They started falling and we hit the deck."

"You seem to be swatting down all kinds of objects like flies today. You're not always this clumsy…"

"Everybody has an off day."

Cassie gave me a look that pretty much made me feel like she was a scientist studying a really engrossing specimen under a microscope. Or a girl scrutinizing a Penshoppe shirt to determine if it was a rip off or the genuine article.

"Any more questions or is this interrogation over?" I never liked it when Cassie gets that look. It usually means she's going to ask…

"So… You like him." Cassie stated it less of a question and more of a fact.

"Isn't that a bit difficult to answer when I just met him today?" I parried with her question, still undecided on how to answer.

Cassie whistled. "Deflecting the question usually means a yes."

"That's a generalization and you know it." I shot back.

"That figures." Cassie shrugged. "You know it's kinda like those cheesy soap operas when the leading lady falls for a dweeb…"

"Now wait a second." I turned to Cassie and frowned. "Tobias isn't dweeby. Sure he gets picked on a lot, but that's just because he's different. It's not his fault."

"He's really smart and a decent guy. It's rare to find a member of the male species who actually reads books that don't have illustrations. Plus, he was brave enough to shield me when all those damned blackboards started falling. He could have gotten seriously hurt…"

I broke off, realizing my mistake. Cassie was grinning a smile worthy of the Chesire Cat.

"You were just baiting me when you said he was a dweeb weren't you."

Cassie clapped her hands like a kindergarten kid and started skipping around.

"Rachel likes a guy… Rachel likes a guy…"

"I… I DO NOT!!!" I looked around mortified. "Would you shut up about it already?"

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel…" Cassie tsked and came over to pat me on the head. A veritable feat since she was much shorter than me. "You shouldn't be so grumpy you know. You just had your first love, after all…"

"Could you quit it with the L-word?" I threw up my hands in exasperation. "It's nothing like that!"

"Why are you so defensive?"

"Because this is stupid!" My temper, as always started getting the better of me. "How can you say that you have feelings for a person you only met once? How is it that you start caring for someone you don't even know before today?"

Cassie sobered then.

"Rachel." She tentatively began. "You don't put much faith in love do you."

"I keep noticing we always turn questions into statements."

"Is it because… Of your parents?"

I inwardly flinched. My mom and dad recently went through a divorce. It wasn't so bad. Both of them were pretty civil about it, and dad didn't even fight for custody since he didn't want to cause too much trouble…

But there was always these times when I wondered…

Does dad really want us? Does dad really love us?

I was the oldest, so I still remember those times when dad and mom would act all lovey dovey and while it weirded me out, I was happy that they were happy.

And then… They weren't happy anymore.

I remember when dad used to say that he loves mom. And mom would say that she loved him.

Was that what love is? Temporary, fickle and fleeting?

"Ofcourse not." I snapped to Cassie, a bit more harshly than I intended. "I'm okay with my parents' divorce."

Cassie nodded, her face neutral, but I knew she didn't believe me.

"Anyway." I changed the subject and even put on a smile. "We better hurry if we want to catch 'Powerhouse'. It starts in ten minutes."

"You're right." Cassie acquiesced, both with the change in subject and my suggestion. "Jeremy Jason McCole is the cutest boy on the planet…"

I started to concur, when my mind flashbacked on a pair liquid eyes sparkling with intelligence and a mop of unruly dirty blond hair.

"Yeah." I shoved those odd feelings of warmth to the side. "You're completely right."


End file.
